Their nachos were off-the-truck Sysco tortilla chips with shredded cheddar cheese on top run through about half the pizza oven.

I bet you could make those yourself.

Mazzio's and Ken's are actually the same place, they just had multiple names available for the franchise. The Ken's in Hutchinson is still going strong, I'm not sure about the Mazzio's in Emporia. All 3 restaurants had the same owner.

If'n we's gonna talk about NY style, I'd go more with the Pizza Shoppe in Overland Park. Da Bronx is excellent, but it is more Chicago style than NY.

(and, by the way, I grew up in NY and ate a LOT of pizza. Actually, the world's best pizza used to be Gino's Pizza - just over the NY border in Ridgefield, CT. Unfortunately they are gone. Il Forno's near North Salem, NY is about the best nowadays.

I am from New York. Been in Kansas forty years and have no intention of leaving. And I can't stand New York provincialism. But I gotta be honest--Kansans have no idea what good pizza, or a good dill pickle, or good potato salad, or a delicious corned beef on rye is.

Yikes. What is usually called NY style pizza just happens to be my favorite. You seem to be deeply troubled by a rather harmless contribution to the discussion. I wasn't trying to slam your precious mid-west, just looking for a tasty slice. LTFU.

It sounds like everyone's favorite pizza place is no longer in business. I like Rudy's and Pyramid but then I discovered I was lactose intolerant. Rudy's also isn't ADA compliant. Try to use their potty in a wheel chair.

If you're eating in, Papa Keno's is well worth the trip. Best pizza in Lawrence.

For delivery, Pizza Shuttle is hands down the best. Cheap, open late, fast, and fresh. For a real kick, try Brandy B's cream cheese sticks with jalapenos on top. We won't order them any other way anymore. The two large pizzas deal is super cheap, and if you add extra toppings, they PILE them on. Definitely worth the little surcharge.

The new Domino's recipe is delicious and reheats well. I'm glad they rebranded and moved away from the "it's cheap, whaddya expect?" category. I'd recommend giving them another try if you haven't already.

As for Pizza Hut, one slice of Meat Lover's has 860 mg of sodium, and it takes five of their wings to hit 100% of your daily fat intake. I have to down two glasses of water for every piece of Pizza Hut pizza because it's so ridiculously salty. I could probably stomach their pizza if it didn't have more sodium than the Atlantic.

I'd rather eat Totino's frozen pizza than a single bite of Papa John's pizza-shaped heap of whatever-it-is. I've never understood their appeal, and they are way overpriced for such a bland, forgettable pie.

I haven't been to the gambino's here in a while, but the one where I grew up (over 20 something years ago) was pretty good. I like papa kenos, because I like crispier crust, but i have yet to find a i-will-die-if-dont-have-it pizza.

I could be biased since I worked there for several years, but Rudy's is my favorite. Their sauce is unlike any other I've had, and everything is prepared and served with pride. The owner is good to his employees, so the turnover is low, which helps keep the product consistent. Some of the best food in Lawrence.

I'm kinda the same way about Pizza Shuttle. I worked there off and on over the years and had a lot of fun there. I noticed that people either loved it or loathed it. I never ran into anyone who thought it was "OK". I haven't had Rudy's, but my daughter and a few of my friends have said it's really good. I'll have to try it.

Interesting reading here. The Italians actually define pizza: "In an effort to implement a degree of uniformity, and 'stake its claim' in what is seen as a cultural commodity, the Italian government has recently imposed a series of regulations that will specify what can and cannot be called a Neapolitan pizza."
http://www1.american.edu/TED/pizza.htm
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Most commercial pizza is too thick and too salty. Chicago-style pizza is a casserole, but sometimes tasty. You can make a good one at home if your oven will hit 500 degrees and you buy one of those stones. "Roll your own (dough, that is,) Lawrence.

Pyramid. Under The Wheel. Just down the hill from where I live. Or lived... I guess that was '89. At GP. Get it? Aw, heck, I don't think it's even there anymore. Used to go to the one in Westport occasionally. I think that one's still there. Same good pizza.

The first pizza place I remember going to in Lawrence was the Green Pepper. It was really good. Then it became a Valentinos and that was great. The best part about going to Omaha is going to their buffet there. Sometime in between, it was WC&Me...we'd go there after church sometimes. About all I remember about it was all the pictures of WC Fields on the walls. And another place that didn't last long was over in that strip mall on Iowa street by where Gibson's used to be...called Gabriel's, I think. There were a lot of paintings of angels everywhere. Don't remember the pizza, just the painted walls. Then we started going to Godfathers on Sundays because of the free pop. I still love their combo!
Pizza Shuttle really isn't bad. Sometimes I get the BTO with anchovies.

Pizza Hut is the worst pizza hands down. How they keep going is beyond me. But I love their breadsticks and their wings are pretty good. But for pizza...no.

You obviously do not understand. The article, blog, or question NEVER ends up being what is discussed, it is merely the discussion starter. If'n ya wants to talk exclusively about the best, current local pizza, I'd suggest you starts a blog on something along the lines of who makes the best hot pickles in the world.

I don't know if you'd consider it local or not, but the best pizza in the region, hands down, is Buzzard's Pizza with locations in Lyndon, Pamona and Wellsville. Once you've had Buzzards, you won't believe that you wasted money on all the other crap.

This might be over-stretching the question's definition of "local", but my favorite pizza nowadays comes from the least likely of places -- the Casey's convenience store in Eudora.

Anyone who regularly commutes on K-10 Highway between Lawrence and Johnson County should stop in and try a slice or two from the carousel warmer, just for a drill. But get their telephone number while you're in there, so that you can call in an order ahead of time and pick it up on your way home or wherever.

The Papa Keno's in Old Town Overland Park is pretty good, but every time I go to the one in Lawrence I end up with a huge piece of pizza on a black crust. I like crispy crusts, but come on! Stop burning my pizza, pizza man!

I agree, was all excited to get my pizza and calzones home after the KU game, only to find the crust on all burnt, lame, I just scraped it off with a fork and ok, it worked but not the same. You should try johnnys if you haven't already. Oh yeah and they are much quicker I waited for 45 minutes one time for a slice of papa kenos and missed some of the KU game, that sucked.

Shuttle is gross! More like Pizza ****-hole. I used to work there and could only stomach their pies if they were fresh out of the oven. Just because it hits the spot at 2:45 AM doesn't make it good. Remember, alcohol impairs your judgement!

Years ago, Milton's had the best pizza in town. Excellent crust. Gorgonzola
cheese & mushroom one was our favorite. Then they replaced the quality
cheese that they had been using with a cheap one. So, we quit going there.
Their service was also very bad, so we just always got the food to go. We
should try them again to see if things have improved.

Rudy's Pizza is sub-par. Mediocre at best.

Sure wish there was a place in town that had as good of pizza as Campus
Hideaway.